enabling data-driven decision making using...

Enabling Data-Driven

Decision Making Using GIS

Steve Hellen

27 May 2015

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Agenda

• What is GIS?

• Why is it relevant?

• Why now?

• What is the value?

• How to get started?

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What is GIS?

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What Is GIS?

“a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and

present all types of geographically referenced data. In the simplest terms,

GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database

technology.”

– Wikipedia, 2011

GIS = Geographic Information System

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Building Block of GIS – Data Layers

Layer-based geographic information model for characterizing our world

Image from ArcGIS 10 online help

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Why is GIS Relevant?

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Why GIS? A Platform for Humanitarian Assistance

Capabilities and templates for:

– Dashboard / Situational Awareness

– Mobile Data Collection / Field Support

– Briefings

– Planning

– Spatial Analysis

– Crowdsourcing

– Social Media Integration

– Paper Map Production

– Public Information

– Advocacy

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Why GIS? Power of Spatial Analysis

Spatial analysis is the process of identifying

meaningful patterns in spatial data and

drawing conclusions from them.

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• Queries

– How many people live within 100 meters of a river’s floodplain?

– What percentage of people located above an elevation of 3000 meters have not received winterized

tents?

– Are refugee camp operations compliant with UNHCR or Sphere guidelines for providing water and

sanitation?

• Transformations

– Where is the best location for a health clinic if it needs to be within 10 km of surrounding villages, within

50 meters of a main road and more than 500 meters from areas known to contain land mines?

– Which villages need to receive additional services given their distance from roads, humanitarian hubs

and a natural disaster?

Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions

____________________________________________

1Sample questions adapted from: Verjee, Firoz. GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance. Redlands, CA: ESRI, 2011. Print.

Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions

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• Optimizations

– What is the most efficient route between our office and each of our field sites?

– What would be the best location for a maternity clinic if it needs to be within a 20-minute drive from

surrounding villages?

• Geostatistics

– What is the best village in which to rent an office based on market rates and the weighted distribution of

surrounding populations?

– Is there a relationship between a rise in cholera infection and the available sources of drinking water?

• Hypothesis Testing and Simulation

– What will happen if the river flood level rises 2 meters in the next week?

– What percentage of local buildings will be seriously damaged or destroyed after an earthquake

measuring 7 on the Richter scale?

– What will happen if a glacier lake outburst flood occurs in this valley?

Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions

____________________________________________

1Sample questions adapted from: Verjee, Firoz. GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance. Redlands, CA: ESRI, 2011. Print.

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Why Now?

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Why Now? Maturity of Mobile Data Collection

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Why Now? Mobile Data Collection at Scale

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What is the Value?

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What is the Value? Forming a Business Case

Alignment to agency strategy

Meets field requests

Benefits that reach multiple

stakeholders

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Wh

at

is t

he

Valu

e?

Align

men

t w

ith

Agen

cy S

trate

gy

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What is the Value? Meeting Needs of Field Projects

• Staff in 12 countries requested GIS assistance

• CRS’ ArcGIS Online environment has 77 publishers

• 43 members in CRS’ informal GIS community

During the first quarter of 2015:

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What are the benefits to an international NGO?

Decisive Influence on Program Delivery

• Site selection

• Vulnerability estimation

• Cluster analysis

• Network optimization

Impactful Advocacy

• Maps as powerful communication tool

• Emergency response

• Charitable giving

Uncover Data

• Visualize data from existing systems

• Share data using open data platform

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What is the Value? Maps to

Communicate

The maps you created make this report come

to life. It is difficult to tell a story when the

place is out of reach for most people. Your

maps help tell the story of the people who

have been suffering for years under the

constant threat of violence and lack of basic

commodities as a result.

We are already helping these people with the

resources we have and I am confident that

this assessment will help increase the

assistance to the right people, whether that

be through CRS or other organizations.

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What is the Value? Maps for Advocacy

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What is the Value?

Spatial Analysis to Improve

Program Delivery

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What is the Value?

Spatial Analysis to Improve

Program Delivery

These maps are based on preliminary data, prior to review by the Sierra Leone National Malaria Control Program

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What is the Value?

Spatial Analysis to Improve Program Delivery

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What is the Value?

Spatial Analysis to Improve Program Delivery

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How to Get Started?

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Ready to Start? Learn What is PossibleTitle Learning Objectives Duration Location

The Power of Maps Exploring online maps and apps

Interpreting maps

Understanding spatial analysis

50

minutes

http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/the-power-

of-maps/

Get Started with ArcGIS

Online

Adding layers to a map

Adding data stored as spreadsheet or file data to a map

Changing map symbols

Configuring pop-ups

Sharing the map as a web app

2.5 hours http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/get-started-

with-arcgis-online/

Gain Geographic Insight

with ArcGIS Online Analysis

Tools

Apply a recommended workflow to solve a spatial problem.

Provide the required inputs to accomplish an analysis workflow.

Get help for an analysis workflow through pop-ups and online resources.

Using drive-time analysis to evaluate accessibility to locations

Finding areas that meet specific conditions

Dissolving many features into a single feature

Finding how many features in one layer are inside another layer

2.5 hours http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm?fa=c

atalog.webCourseDetail&courseID=2717 and

http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/in-peles-

way/

Get Started with StoryMaps Using the built-in GPS features of a smartphone or camera to geotag

pictures

Using the Story Map Tour builder

1 hour http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/get-started-

with-story-maps/

Maps and the Geospatial

Revolution

Mapping introduction through basic spatial analysis 5 weeks,

6-9 hours

of study

per week

https://www.coursera.org/course/maps

Going Places with Spatial

Analysis

Using the spatial analysis tools within ArcGIS Online to answer questions

about data and find patterns between data sets

6 weeks,

2-3 hours

of study

per week

http://www.esri.com/landing-

pages/training/spatial-analysis

Incr

easi

ng

Dep

th

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Ready to Start? Find an Expert

Seek Volunteer GIS Professional

Hire InternsHire GIS

Professional

Contract for Professional

Services

Costlow high

Predictabilitylow high

Suitability for Complex Effortslow high

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Ready to Start? Subscribe to ESRI’s Nonprofit Program

http://www.esri.com/nonprofit

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Ready to Start? Find an Expert

Seek Volunteer GIS Professional

Hire InternsHire GIS

Professional

Contract for Professional

Services

Costlow high

Predictabilitylow high

Suitability for Complex Effortslow high

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Ready to Start? Subscribe to ESRI’s Nonprofit Program

http://www.esri.com/nonprofit

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Standing up a GIS Program at CRS

• Operational maps

• Spatial analysis

• Proposal support

• Connect projects with expertise and resources

GIS Project Services

• Application architecture

• Information architecture

• Data management and sharing

• Security architecture

Define GIS Architecture & Roadmap

• eValuate

• Farmbook

• Gateway

• Charitable Giving

Enhance Mapping Capabilities in Existing

Systems

• Curate training materials

• Deliver trainings

• Community of practiceCapacity Building

• Vendors

• Universities

• VolunteersPartnerships

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stephen.hellen@crs.org | 1.443.955.7131 | skype: stevehellen

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stephen.hellen@crs.org | 1.443.955.7131 | skype: stevehellen